A. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to refrigeration systems, and, more particularly, to refrigeration systems of the demountable or so-called knockdown type which can be shipped disassembled to a desired location and then assembled into a refrigeration apparatus.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A number of arrangements have been heretofore proposed, both in the refrigeration art and elsewhere, wherein a demountable or knockdown construction is employed so that the apparatus may be shipped disassembled to a desired location and then assembled into a desired finished product. Arrangements of this type in the refrigeration art are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,127,111; 2,502,581; 2,507,379; 2,509,779; 2,521,064; 2,535,682; 3,392,497; 3,995,922; 4,358,213 and 4,632,470.
All of the above-enumerated arrangements are quite complicated in construction and are not particularly suitable for use in the domestic appliance field when assembly by the ultimate customer is contemplated. Furthermore, these refrigeration arrangements all require the use of tools and/or separate fastening means which adds to the complexity of such arrangements and renders them more difficult to assemble by an unskilled domestic appliance customer. In addition, none of the prior art arrangements, to applicants' knowledge, contemplates a demountable or knockdown refrigeration appliance in which a complete mechanical refrigeration unit is contained in one panel of the knockdown apparatus which panel can be readily assembled with other insulated panels to form a complete refrigeration appliance.
A number of arrangements have also been proposed in the refrigeration art wherein the mechanical refrigeration unit of a conventional refrigerator or freezer, or portions thereof, may be removed from the refrigeration cabinet for service or replacement, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,445,988; 2,462,115; 2,509,614; 2,671,603; 2,936,598; 2,943,455; 3,131,551; 3,220,733; 3,433,031; 3,708,997; 3,850,006; 3,712,078; 3,871,188; 4,019,339; 4,354,359; 4,457,140; 4,490,990 and 4,509,335.
The removable mechanical refrigeration units in the arrangements enumerated above have generally been quite bulky and cumbersome to move and are unsuitable for incorporation into a demountable or knockdown refrigeration appliance, particularly one in which the mechanical refrigeration unit forms a relatively thin wall panel of such a refrigeration appliance.
A demountable or knockdown construction has also been proposed in a number of arrangements outside the refrigeration field. However, these arrangements, of course, have not contemplated incorporating a complete mechanical refrigeration unit in one wall of the knockdown structure or apparatus. Examples of demountable or knockdown construction outside the refrigeration art are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 305,286; 409,893; 419,920; 582,005; 1,534,468; 2,496,184; 3,565,503; 3,674,328; 3,722,157; 4,019,298; 4,127,353 and 4,408,812.